Have you ever had a situation in life that you did not want to deal with?
Maybe you felt like you could just wait it out and time would bring a solution…
Let me be the first to say that I know that feeling.
I’ve dealt with somethings in the past few years that I, honestly, considered burying deep within my heart and a secret treasure box somewhere.
Yet, I found that the more I considered not dealing with it, the more it changed me.
Now this wasn’t a single occurrence. It was something that happened a few different times in various situations. As it happened, I kept wondering how I was supposed to handle the problem.
What I found was that I had to deal with it. I had to take the time to allow myself to feel the emotions. Those feelings became the beginning of my process.
From there, I had to talk with someone I trusted. This was someone who I knew would not only listen, but also pray for me and encourage me along the way. I had to begin to reflect on my life so that I could grow and change.
Reflecting
Reflecting, not simply on the occurrences of the past, but also on the situations that had transpired within me. I had to bring myself to a place where I knew how the things that were said and done affected me.
This process of reflecting was not an easy one. There were times, during reflection, where I wanted to avoid the pain of remembering what happened. For the memories seemed to harvest the feeling that caused me such great pain.
Although I did not want to go through the process, I knew that I would have such great freedom after I did.
Cast your cares on God, for he cares for you. ~1 Peter 5:7
One of the reasons why reflecting and self-reflection are so important is that you cannot cast upon God, what you do not know exists.
See, when we give our concerns, fears, anxieties, heartaches, and heartbreak to God, He will take care of them. However, when we do not know or refuse to identify the cares that are driving us crazy, we also choose to hold on to the cares. We decide that we are more powerful alone and don’t need God to solve the problem.
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. ~Psalm 55:22
If you can see this clearly, reflecting is a tool of freedom. Without it, we are unable to see primary aspects of ourselves, needed for liberty. Without seeing those areas, we cannot submit our selves to God so that He can free us. Our hearts have to go through the reflection process in order to begin preparing for what is next.
Preparing
After reflecting on the situation and coming to terms with the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that have been experienced, it is imperative that we begin to prepare ourselves for freedom.
Freedom is a choice.
That statement is the first one that we must accept as we prepare ourselves for liberty. See, we can each choose to be prideful, stubborn, hard-hearted, impatient, and fearful. No one will stop us from feeling this way.
Honestly, it is our right to feel anyway that we desire.
However, if I am to move forward on my journey of healing and freedom, I must choose to be humble, tender-hearted, patient, willing, and full of courage. You have to make the same choice if you want freedom.
Freedom will also require us to forgive others. Although it is very hard, each of these choices will unlock the door to our future and prepare us to walk in the place God calls us to.
Now I started this conversation with you by asking if you had ever found yourself in a situation that you didn’t want to deal with. My question for you now is, do you think you are a little better equipped to deal with it, after reading this?
I hope your answer is yes.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you found it helpful.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please share them with me in the comments section.
